Wesley Laughton (Earth-1)
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Wesley Laughton, more commonly known by his alias of Deimos, is a villain in The Extras campaign. He was introduced in Fear ''(''S03E02) and was the primary antagonist until Scarecrow (S02E03). Deimos is a cruel, sadistic criminal with the power to induce terrifying hallucinations on his victims. He is proud to literally put the "terror" in terrorist. Personality Laughton is a lifeong professional criminal and sadistic domestic terrorist. Possessed of an intense lust for money and a morbid interest in the mind's power over the body, Laughton has quickly risen in notoriety in the world of super-crime. Surprisingly intelligent for a former street hood, Laughton is a capable gangster, chemist and businessman with a flair for theatrics and espouting psychological rhetoric. Bullied in his youth, Laughton grew up repressed with feelings of pent-up aggression. He sought to make those hurt him pay for their crimes. Powerless at home, Laughton tortured small animals that he caught in the local parks and he tormented his mother's cat. In high school, he snapped and terrorized a jock for weeks, even going so far as to murder the family dog. He was caught and expelled from school for his behavior and forced to undergo community service. That incident sparked two things in Laughton: the first was launching his career as a criminal. The second was the knowledge of the power of fear; he could use it against people, turning the tables and putting the power in his hands. He could overcome even bigger and stronger opponents using his mind. Laughton possesses an intense need to feel more powerful than others and uses his knowledge of the mind to achieve these ends. Despite being a high school dropout and a felon, he worked as an orderly at Mayfield Psychiatric Institute for several years. This experience served to help Laughton gain an intricate understanding of the mental. He often employs psychology into his crimes and is clever in its use when manipulating others, especially his cronies and other lackies that serve under him. When combined with his fear-pheromone, Laughton can be a truly menacing force of nature. He is also a skilled chemist. While he flunked out of chemistry in high school, he possesses a broad knowledge of the subject and has a natural talent at creating compounds and mixing chemicals. While he used this talent primarily for the drug trade for many years (and still does, in some capacity, in order to fund his criminal operations) but he has turned more to weaponizing the pheromone his body gives off. He has somehow created a serum that, when injected into a target's bloodstream, causes them to experience intensely terrifying hallucinations that are so strong, they can cause a heart attack in the victim. He is also a natural at mathematics. For all his brilliance, Laughton is himself mentall unhinged, displaying many traits associated with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Those diagnosed with NPD are excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity. He is an unstable leader, responding to criticism with anger and he often takes advantage of others to mean his own goals: even sacrificing his underlings or sending them to their deaths. He has a habit of exaggerating his own importance and imagines unrealistic fantasies of success, power, intelligence and even romance. He also lacks empathy, disregarding the feelings of others and largely appears unemotional, except in the instances of intense anger. This stems primarily from an abusive childhood at the hands of a drug-addicted mother (see HISTORY, below). This disorder colors his entire personality and serves to explain his intense desire for power over others and feelings of prestige and power. Strangely enough, Laughton likes and has an odd connection with young children. He goes out of his way not to scare them or show them anything related to his criminal activities, even when doing so would put him at risk. This does not seem to apply to teenagers. Laughton is tough and streetwise from his youth spent growing up on the streets among the disenfranchised. He is largely a loner and despite being a natural extrovert, he tends to keep to himself and avoids going into public, especially since the development of his powers. He is usually apathetic in most situations and he has a short attention span. Unless he's interested in it, he doesn't usually pat attention to anything. When he chooses to, however, his mind is a steel trap and he doesn't stop until he's learned everything he can about the subject, legality be damned. History Wesley Laughton was born on February 28, 1989 into a middle class family in Albequerque, New Mexico. His father left the family before he could remember and he was raised by a bitter, alcoholic mother who beat him viciously. He would be rewarded in the aftermath when his mother's guilt drove her to give him presents. He learned that rewards followed punishment, and so he began to deliberately act out in order to receive beatings. A strange child, Laughton was skinny and often picked on in elementary school. Called names like "Faggot", "Pencil-Dick" and "Wesley Weirdo" by his peers, he became withdrawn and sullen. While quiet, he was prone to acting out in class and was disrespectful to his teachers. After school, he would poke around the desert and the local parks, trapping animals and torturing them. He was secretive about these incidents, but he kept a notebook containing his observations of the activities. He also grew to be a voracious reader and was especially fond of ancient mythology and poetry. His favorite was Greek mythology, which he found fascinating and complex. He saw the inherent meaning behind the often silly stories, which he interpreted as being that "humanity is frail, useless and doomed to fail". A naturally lithe, felxible boy, he witnessed a "rubber man" performing during a visit to the circus when he was eleven years old. Mesmerized by what the man could do with his body, Wesley became obsessed with emulating him. He trained himself almost incessantly in his room and the local youth center after school, learning to twist his body into numerous unusual positions and he convinced his mother to enroll him in gymnastics classes, where he learned to perform various acrobatic stunts. This only served to make him an even more socially stunted young man and the ridicule continued to grow, especially when his schoolmates found out he was enrolled in gymnastics. He gained a new nickname in the seventh grade: "Noodle-Boy". When he was fourteen years old, Mark Campbell, a popular boy, found one of these notebooks and reported it to the school's principal. His secret habits exposed, Wesley was forced to attend regular therapy sessions and his bullying increased. Wesley found he enjoyed the doctor's office and he enjoyed oberving the other patients and trying to guess their ailments. He began reading about psychology and often asked his therapist questions. He would continue to act out throughout high school in order to continue therapy. He was a poor student in high school, due largely to his apathy, short attention span and obsessive study of both psychology and contortion. In the eleventh grade, he was asked by a popular girl named Veronica Crawford, whom he had held a longtime crush on, to the Homecoming dance. He agreed and she stood him up. He confronted her at the dance itself and she apologized and as a way of saying she was sorry, she pulled him into the janitor's closet and he began to kiss her, and she pulled down his pants--right before opening the door to the hallway, now crowded with students who proceeded to laugh at Wesley. They took pictures and began to post them all around the school. That was the last straw. He was sick of being teased, sick of being tormented by the idiot masses of his high school and he was sick of being powerless. It was his turn now. Over the next six weeks, he systematically terrorized both Veronica and Mark Campbell, putting threatening fliers into their lockers, scrawling cryptic messages on their bedroom walls and bathroom mirrors, leaving messages on their answering machines and otherwise vanadalising them and psychologically terrorizing them. Everything culminated when he cut the power at Mark's house, murdered his dog and left the carcass in the jock's bed. He was caught near the house and he proudly confessed to the crime. He WANTED everyone to know what he did and he wanted them to know that if they crossed him, he would do it to them. People looked at him differently after that. They didn't tease him anymore. They were afraid of him. He could not be tried as a minor but he was expelled from the school after a lengthy schoolboard hearing, and he was forced to undergo community service. After a tumultuous three months, he was kicked out of his house and sent to live with his aunt Jenny in west Seattle. He took care of her until her death from lung cancer and was subsequently allowed to stay in the small house by her widowed husband, who moved to Portland. He did not go back to school, instead falling in with local street toughs. He ran with the gang for several years, mugging innocent people, breaking into houses, stealing, vandalising. He was known as an especially dangerous hood who would violently attack even fellow gang members when upset. He was also well-known for his speed, his agilitym skill at parkour and his ability to contort his body, earning the nickname "Rubberband". Wesley quickly became involved in the drug scene and found he had a talent for cooking meth, which he called "Greek P". He grew to some minor notoriety in the Seattle and Portland drug scene, under the alias of "Hephaestus", the greek god of the forge. During this time, he received a job as an orderly at the Mayfield Psychiatric Institute. He did this at first only to steal drugs but he found that he enjoyed the work and liked to skulk around the halls even during his off-hours, observing the patients. His co-workers found him strange and creepy. In September of 2013, he was attending a party in Northampton (a suburb of Seattle), distributing his "Greek P" meth to the high schoolers there. During the party, there was a strange storm. During the incident, he was struck by lightning and after that, everything changed. Within a week, Laughton discovered that with a touch, he could cause people to see what it was they feared the most. Laughton was fascinated by the possibilities and trained himself, testing his powers on the patients at the Mayfield Institute. He wore a mask to disguise himself during his experiements by donning a burlap sack with eye-holes cut out. Before long, he discovered that he could affect people at a relatively short distance, as well. When he did this, he found he was affected, but not in the same way: the ability activated his arednal gland, increasing his strength, stamina and speed. Constant, prolonged exposure to his power over months caused his mental health to deteriorate somewhat, causing him to view the world differently than before. In January of 2014, he was caught experimenting on patients with his pheromone. After a brief fight with security, he was detained and analyzed. After extensive study, Laughton was placed into the same mental health facility in which he used to work. He was quiet most of his time there, refusing medication and subtly continuing his experiments on other patients and even his psychiatrist. In May of that year, the Mayfield Institute was assaulted by the masked criminal WildCard. He was freed from his cell along with a number of other patients, though he managed to use his contortion abilities to bypass WildCard and escape on his own. He then laid low in West Seattle for a short time while he amassed some power and money and word began to creep into the streets that the "Scarecrow" was back. He began to spread his operation, using his masked persona to usurp leadership of his gang. He became a meth lord in the northwest by June of 2014, taking great pains to remain out of the Extra's sights. As things escalted around the world, Laughton knew it would only be a matter of time before he was exposed. Laughton had spent months studying his new power, watching with interest as others emerged, both acting for good and for evil. He began to see them as modern-day gods, wielding power to guide the fate of humanity and he was one of them. Every one of them had shed their old names, taking on new names and Laughton immediately knew the persona he would take: he controlled fear so he became Deimos, the greek god of terror and dread. He quickly became a terrifying name in the underworld. In August of 2014, Laughton perfected a serum, using the chemicals his body produced that induced panicked states in his victims to create a liquid compound that produced the same effects but on a much more intense and potent scale. Now armed with a small army, superhuman powers and a sense of purpose (to take control of Seattle), Laughton began to wear his mask, becoming Deimos, the personification of fear. Notable Accomplishments Note: this section will only cover Laughton's accomplishments since the campaign's beginning. *Escaped from Seattle 7th Precinct Police Headquarters. Notable Victories *Guardian Angel Disabled (Panic, S02E04). *Immortal Man (Panic, S02E04) Relationships with Others Laughton suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and thus he doesn't exactly get along with people. He is easily frustrated and angered by people, and he tends to be withdrawn and quiet. He is quite arrogant and possesses little empathy for others, thus he often seems detached and distant in conversation. He is usually very pleased with himself and tends to talk about himself or his own accomplishments with others. Laughton respects the Extras, and he sees them as members of a modern-day Pantheon and he usually refers to them by deity names, instead of their usual codeames: Ares (Gangbanger), Apollo (Kinetic), Hermes (Jumper), Helios (Hyperion), Hades (Geist), Artemis (Mercy), Poseidon (Nemo), Hephaestus (Malleable Man), Dionysus (Macho Man), Morpheus (Immortal Man) and Athena (Guardian Angel). He is particularly fond and interested in Guardian Angel. She was the first to reveal herself to the world and she seems to be a symbol of hope that seems to directly oppose his own ideals of fear. WildCard is a masked criminal and clown-themed domestic terrorist. Also a known enemy of the Extras, Laughton finds him profoundly interesting. He respects the man's methods and ability to get off scott-free during his trial. He witnessed WildCard's madness and chaotic tendencies firsthand during the clown's jailbreak at the Mayfield Institute and since then, Laughton has wished to somehow meet him and work with him in an effort to combat the Extras. He plans to try to form his own gang with WildCard as a sort of anti-Pantheon. Powers and Abilities Laughton is an extrahuman and as such possesses several superhuman abilities, in addition to some mundane training. *'Acrobatics:' Laughton is naturally agile and fast. Due to years of training, he is an expert at the art of parkour and he possesses near superhuman coordination. When his pheromone is in his system, his balance and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical capabilities and limits of most human beings. *'Chemistry:' Laughton is a naturally skilled chemist. He primarily uses this ability to cook meth, which is said to 96.2% pure (which is abnormally high). He has also employed this talent to create his Fear Serum (see below). *'Close Combat:' Though he doesn't do so often (as his pheromones or fear serum usually enable him to skip over combat), he is a skilled hand to hand combatant. He is a skilled brawler and practioner of a fighting style he calls "Violent Dancing", which uses drunken boxing and makes use of his long arms and legs, as well as his agility and contortion ability. He is also skilled in the use of sickles, scythes, knives, pitchforks and axes. *'Contortion:' Naturally lithe and double-jointed, Laughton has perfected the art of contortion. He can bend his body in ways and in shapes normally impossible for human beings. When affected by his pheromone, this ability increases in sometimes terrifying ways. This ability was the reason he was known as "Rubberband by his old gang. *'Fear Immunity:' Laughton is immune to all fear effects, including the effects of Geist's "Bolts of Sorrow". *'Fear Serum:' Laughton's chief weapon, aside from his pheromone, is a toxin he created using his fear pheromones called Fear Serum (or Fearum, as Jumper once called it). It is administered by injecting the serum directly into the blood stream of the target by way of a hypodermic needle. It causes a person to experience their own worst fears and can sometimes trigger new phobias in targets. The substance is versatile, as it is able to be applied to darts, bullets, edges weapons and gas (which was administered via a fog machine). *'Pheromone Control:' Laughton is able to secrete an odorless pheromone into the air that affects the amygdala region of the brain in targets as far away as 20 feet. This pheromone triggers intense panic attacks and causes victims to experience realistic hallucinations and irrational fear. Laughton is able to cause the same reaction in a number of higher animals, including crows, dogs and primates. Also known as his "Fearomone". **'Hyperadrenal:' The pheromone he secrets also affects his own adrenal gland, albeit differently than others. He is immune to the fear effect, but the pheromone activates his fight-or-flight response, augmenting his own physical attirbutes to superhuman levels. His strength increases so that he can lift a small car, and his top landspeed increases to speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. *'Psychology:' Despite not having been formally trained, Laughton understands the power and uses of fear. With this knowledge, he knows how to use words to affect a person's actions, once managing to drive two men to suicide with nothing but words. He can also use this insight to find people's mental weaknesses and exploit them. Paraphernelia Laughton tends to utilize several interesting pieces of gear when he strikes out as Deimos to raise Hell. Equipment *'Fear Serum:' Laughton always carries several syringes filled with this potent, weaponized, panic-inducing hallucinogen on his person at all times. *'Mask:' This mask has the appearance of a burlap sack and, when combined with Laughton's distinctive body movements, provokes the image of a scarecrow. The mask serves several purposes: it masks his identity, serves to augment his fear-inducing powers and filters out unwanted chemicals. *'Melee Weapons:' While not always, Laughton is usually carrying a bladed melee weapon on his person, such as a scythe, sickle, axe or knife. These are usually coated with Fear Serum. Weaknesses Laughton also possesses several weaknesses that serve to hinder him. *'Axiomite:' This rare mineral gives off a radiation signature that affects the center of the brain that controls superpowers. When exposed to axiomite, Laughton would lose access to his powers for approximately twenty-four hours. Prolonged exposure would cause him to become nauseous. *'Mental Illness:' Laughton suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. This causes a lack of empathy and selfish, arrogant tendencies, along with delusions of granduer. He also may or may not actually believe he is the personification of Deimos. *'Weak Willed:' Laughton possesses a small amount of willpower, causing him to be easily overcome psychically and he is vulnerable to mental effects in general. Notes *Laughton's play-by actor is Aaron Paul. *Laughton was, in part, inspired by the character of "Scarecrow" from DC comics. *Laughton is the first villain to be the primary antagonist for two episodes in a row, even after his capture. *Deimos is the Greek god of terror, dread and panic. Scarecrows were also originally an effigy to the greek god and crows are seen as the favorite servants of Deimos. *The only known character to be immune to his pheromone is Geist (Zach Wagner). Trivia *Loves birds of all kinds. He is especially fascinated by carrion birds. *Favorite movie is the original "Clash of the Titans". *Laughton is allergic to erythromycin (a common antibiotic). Category:Extrahuman Category:Pheromone Control Category:Hyperadrenal Category:Psychology Category:Villains Category:Extras Villains Category:Neutral Evil Characters Category:Extras Category:Extras Season 3 Category:Scientists Category:Male Characters Category:Native of Earth-1